reached for her again, but voices from ranch hands approaching outside stopped him. Instantly, he stepped away and grabbed his hat from the ground. With a look of regret, he darted a glance her way and plopped his Stetson onto his head. The ranch foreman appeared in the sunlit line of vision from the wide stable door and Tagg cleared his throat. “Let’s get out of here,” he said, keeping his voice down.
She saw him reach for her hand and then think better of it.
With their arms to their sides, they walked out of the stable together and got into the Jeep. Tagg waved to the men who’d returned to the stable area without stopping to talk.
They drove back to Penny’s Song in silence. She was grateful for the quiet ride. At least Tagg wasn’t telling her how that kiss shouldn’t have happened. At least he wasn’t denying that something drew them together like a force of nature.
Callie could only hope that she was making headway with Tagg.
She’d caught him in a weak moment, is all, Tagg thought as he pulled up to Penny’s Song. One minute it had all been about Clay’s request to find horses. Then he’d seen Sadie and gotten sentimental. There was nothing worse than having a woman see you when you’re vulnerable. And then Callie’s soft looks of understanding and commiseration did him in.
The kiss just happened. And he wasn’t going to apologize for it. He wasn’t going to deny it was good. Hell, it had been great. But Callie was a dangerous woman to be around and the one thing he swore he wouldn’t do was to get involved with her. He wouldn’t forget who she was, or who he was. He’d already had his one chance at love and had blown it.
He climbed out of the vehicle and walked around to the other side, but Callie had already opened the door herself. She got out and they looked at each other. Tagg spoke first before she said something he didn’t want to hear. “I’d better check on the workmen. See if they need anything. Are you sticking around here?”
“For a little while. I have some things I want to finish up.”
“Okay, then. I’ll let you get to your work. See ya.” He tipped his hat.
He’d only gotten a few feet away before Callie called him back. “Tagg?”
He turned around, bracing himself for what she had in mind. He didn’t like to analyze things the way most women did. He’d kissed her. It was great. Period. He doubted it would ever happen again. “Yeah?”
“I think we did a good job picking out the horses today.”
“Yeah. We did.”
“I’d still like to ride Sunflower. I’ll ask Clay if I can do that tomorrow.”
Tagg scrubbed his jaw. “Don’t think I can make it to morrow.”
She frowned and shook her head. “I’m not asking you on a date, for heaven’s sake. I can ride the mare without you and make a determination on my own.”
He held his expression blank to keep from blinking his surprise. Callie had put him in his place. “Okay, the sooner we accomplish that, the better.”
“That’s what it’s all about.” Tousled, well kissed and rosy cheeked, she faced him from a few feet away. He’d put that look on her pretty face. Sensations whirled. Unsettling possessive instincts took hold in his gut. He stood there for several minutes, well after she’d turned on her heels and walked away.
Jed Barlow rode up on his horse and dismounted just a few feet away. “Hey, Tagg. I’m glad I found you here. Clay thought you might be available for the game tonight. Diamondbacks are playing. Then after the game, we’ll be happy to take your money at the poker table. We need to fill a seat. Brett Williamson’s daughter is getting married, so he’s out of commission for the week.”
Baseball and poker were just what he needed to take his mind off Callie for the night. He wasn’t a regular, but when the boys needed a substitute, Tagg didn’t mind filling in. “Sure. Why not?”
“All right then. We’ll see you at seven.” Jed led his horse toward the stable, but turned after taking just a few steps. “Hey, was that Callie Sullivan I saw you jawing with just a minute ago?”
“Yeah, that was Callie.”
“Never thought I’d see her around here.”
Jed had gone to the same high school as the Worths. His father owned a small ranch ten miles north of their property. After years of struggling, unable to compete with the bigger ranches in the area, Kent Barlow quit the cattle business. The Worths had always liked the Barlows and Clay hired Jed straightaway. He knew ranching like the back of his hand. He’d been a trusted employee going on five years now. “That makes two of us,” Tagg answered.
“She sure is pretty.”
Tagg nodded. He didn’t need a reminder.
“I remember a time when I liked her, back in school. She was book smart and I was flunking out of English. I must’ve been sixteen or so. She offered to help with my homework one day and I showed up at Big Hawk Ranch.” Jed stopped talking to shake his head and grin. “I think I had a death wish or something. I didn’t get one foot on the porch when her daddy comes up behind me holding a big ole shotgun, telling me Callie wasn’t seeing any visitors that night. He told me if I knew what was good for me, I’d turn around and keep on going.”
“Had you shaking in your boots, did he?”
“Had me pissing in my boots was more like it. That man was mean.”
“He never scared me.”
“You ever try to date his daughter?”
Tagg shook his head. What had happened between him and Callie couldn’t be called dating. “No. She was younger. I barely knew Callie in school.”
“Good thing, too. The Hawk’s got no use for the Barlows, or the Worths, either, I hear. Callie once told me she wasn’t allowed to speak to any of you. Looks like that’s changed.”
“She’s volunteering here, going to work with the kids at Penny’s Song. I don’t think her father has much say in what she does anymore.” Tagg didn’t know why he felt the need to explain that to him.
“She married?” Jed searched the area, presumably to catch another glimpse of Callie.
He shook his head. “No.”
“Okay, then.” Jed got a big smile on his face. “Maybe I’ll just reacquaint myself.”
Tagg watched him enter the stable, tempering his irritation and talking himself out of being angry at Jed. He had no reason to be annoyed. What Jed did in his spare time wasn’t any of his business. What Callie did in her spare time wasn’t, either.
But later that night, Tagg got immense enjoyment out of cleaning Jed’s clock at the poker table. The victory gave him such great satisfaction that he wouldn’t allow himself to believe it was motivated by anything more than his strong competitive drive.
“Hi, Daddy.” Callie kissed her father on the forehead before taking a seat adjacent to him at the dining room table for dinner. Her father insisted on taking his meals in
